Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1955)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 78. NO. 100 NEW YORK, U.S.A., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1955 TEN CENTS Weekend to Go Awards Voting Doubles; See Further Boost Verbal Publicity Held Contributing to Interest Voting in the Audience Awards election°m the last few days has been running double that of the opening days of the poll and is expected to increase still further before the end of the balloting on Sunday night, the Council of Motion Picture Organizations revealed here on Wednesday, following a cross-country exchange area check. Theatre managers attribute the increase to heavy publicity in the news(Continued on page 6) Mexico's Film Bank Doing 'Very Well' in Financing Producers Special to THE DAILY MEXICO CITY, Nov. 24. The trade's own bank, the semi-official Banco Nacional Cinematografico, S. A., is doing "very well," it was announced at the meeting of its administrative board. During the first nine months of 1955, the bank's taxfree profits were $120,853. During September, the bank financed the (Continued on page 6) M. P. Pension Benefits Raised $30 Monthly From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 24.-The board of directors of the Motion Picture Industry Pension Plan yesterday voted to increase from $20 to $50 a month the benefits to be paid workers included in the plan beginning in January, 1960. The plan was established a year ago. The increase in the benefits to be paid employees upon retirement has been made possible by the increase in the contributions to the fund by both employers and employees under the new collective bargaining contracts negotiated last October. Para., N.J. Allied EDC Meet, But 'No Comment' New Jersey Allied's Emergency Defense Committee met here on Wednesday with Paramount's New York branch manager Myron Sattler but none of the parties would comment on the outcome of the discussions. It was reported unofficially, however, that the talks centered on film rentals and the charge made by the Jersey unit that New Jersey was the only state in which Paramount would not sell on flat rentals. The meeting was said to be the first held by an Allied regional EDC unit since the territorial system of discussing problems was adopted at the national convention in Chicago. Pioneers Foundation Starts Fund-Raising Special committees which have been named to conduct the Foundation of Motion Picture Pioneers' 1956 drive for contributions will make their initial reports to the over-all fundraising committee here on Jan. 15. The special groups were named at a meeting of the general committee on Wednesday. One committee, which will cover the producer-distributor organizations, consists of Sam Rosen, George Dembow and Ned Depinet. Exhibitor organizations will be contacted on a national basis by Harry Rosen, Spyros {Continued on page 7) By Small Business Subcommittee Senate Group to Hear Alt Trade Segments Producers, Distributors As Well as All Exhibitor Units Are Promised Full Time By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, Nov. 24. -Senator Humphrey (D., Minn.) today promised to give distributors, producers and all exhibitor groups a full chance to be heard by his Senate Small Business Subcommittee, following Allied States . ■ Association's statement of its com Bishops' Crusade Call Draws Schary Reply In Defense of Films From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 24. Dore Schary, vice-president of M-G-M in charge of production, yesterday came to the defense of Hollywood producers in answering the charge of "moral laxity in the movies" made this week in Washington by the Bishops Committee on Motion Pictures, acting on a report by Most Rev. William A. Scully, Bishop of Albany, N. Y. The Roman Catholic group has called for a "crusade of instruction and guidance on moral trends in motion picture entertainment." The bishops, said Schary, "have a (Continued on page 2) plaints. He said he expected that government agencies such as the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission would also have to be heard. Humphrey has committed the subcommittee to hearings starting on Jan. 25 on Allied's complaints against the distributors. Today he declared he was sure the subcommittee would want to hear any other parties who have anything to contribute to the controversy and that he was quite sure the producers, distributors and other exhibitor groups would want to be heard. The subcom(Continued on page 6) All-VistaVision Line-Up from Para. Seen for Next Year Maas Makes '56 Forecast Sees More than $40,000,000 Cross Rentals for U.S. Films in Far East Gross rentals for American films of over $40,000,000 from the Far East in 1956 was forecast here yesterday by Irving Maas, Motion Picture Export Association vice-president in charge of the Far East division. Maas, who recently returned from a stay of a month in the Orient, mainly Japan, said the current gross of American films in the Orient is about $40,000,000. Indications, however, point to a better year in 1956, he added, explaining that on the whole the economy in the Orient is improving. An index of the healthy growth of the film business, he went on, is the construction of new theatres in Japan, Bangkok, Hong Kong and the Philippines. India, he continued, remains one of the toughest markets to penetrate for American films or any other non-native product. Maas, although he did not visit India on his recent trip, said he would go to that country when he tours the Orient again next spring. Regarding Japan, Maas said that the $7,500,000 loan agreement which will unfreeze upward of $13,000,000 (Continued on page 6) While Paramount expects to release 20 pictures in 1956— approximately the same number that ■ it will have delivered this year— it will be the first year that the entire season's program will be in Vista Vision, according to the distribution blueprint for the coming year. An estimated 80 per (Continued on page 7) Arbitration Goes To Lawyers Tues. The legal commmittee of the Motion Picture Association of America has set a meeting for Tuesday to take up the proposed arbitration draft. It is understood the "tabling" ol the proposed draft by the Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatre Association, of New York, will be among discussion topics by the legal representatives of the film companies.